Says Francis, “In the past I’ve worked with acoustic guitar, bass, drums, B3 organ, but I wanted to bring a modern electronic element into my music. When first speaking with Jeff Trott, I quickly realized he had great musical instincts and that he was getting my tunes. And then, he brought ideas to the table that I hadn’t imagined. I saw a new musical landscape could be created with my songs by working with him.”
The musicians that Trott assembled for the recording sessions helped to create this colorful landscape. Having worked with artists such as Beck, Nine Inch nails, Gnarls Barkley, Willie Nelson, Queens of the Stone Age, Dr. Dre, and Scott Weiland, the musicians (Brian LeBarton, Justin Meldal-Johnsen, John O’Brien, Victor Indrizzo and others) provided an extraordinary musical palette of talent and sensibility.
When asked about the project, Trott says, “It really became apparent to me that Pete was a very creative and colorful song-writer. What I liked was that there was this very good sense of Pete’s personality from happy go lucky to dark and brooding. All these aspects were amazing to work with and the lyrics were very colorful. I think that’s one of the things I really enjoy about Pete’s songs… that it’s sometimes hard to really figure out what the meanings are and I think that’s missing in a lot of music - the mystery of what a song is.”
The opening track, “Glue”, generates a feeling of weightlessness by combining organic instrumentation with futuristic sounds. This song solidly represents what’s to follow on the album’s consistent mix of fresh and classic, electronic and acoustic, known and unknown… Each listen unlocks a new guitar lick, synth riff, bass groove, drum program, live drumbeat or horn swell, and even the sounds of the sparsely used Ethiopian instrument cumbus. Midway through the album, the listener gets catapulted into the up-tempo and joyous revelry of “Love Shakes You Down” a sing-a-long with the familiar bell sounds of Motown combined with a string synth creating a modern and retro sound all at once. The slower, more melodic songs of the album like “St. Paul’s Fair” and “Didn’t Know I Built It” lure the listener into dream-states with rich deep vocals, sampled sounds from a town square in Italy, trance-like Wurlitzer pedaling, and vivid lyrics.
No one would deny that Francis has earned his stripes in the independent music scene. He formed the fiercely independent band Dispatch in 1995 whose uncommonly loyal fan-base bid them farewell at The Last Dispatch concert in 2004 with an attendance of 110,000 people from around the world. Since then, his career has infiltrated many musical worlds including performing his solo music at festivals around the country, reuniting with his Dispatch pals for three sold out nights at Madison Square Garden, having his solo music featured in films and television, and performing in the presence of Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C..
Commenting on his new album and departure from his Dispatch days, Francis says, “It’s good to get out of your comfort zone. I tried to let this motto resonate at every turning point of this record’s evolution.” When asked if there is an overall theme to The Movie We Are In, Francis explains, “I like to leave this up to the listener. Hearing an album is similar to visiting a museum. The listener has to have his or her own conversation with the artwork and create their own interpretations."
Untold
Pete Francis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't leave me on that old black road
July thunder, something's undercover
Something's lost, something ain't right
You slide by me in the cool air of night
Drive by in my car for you
Look me in the eyes, that's what I can believe
don't go with your dreams untold
Don't leave me on that old black road
now as I pass through these fields at last
I hear someone calling me
Could be your voice, could be a voice I don't know
So hold up, hold up while I look around here
Maybe baby you would just phone me
don't go with your dreams untold
Don't leave me on that old black road
The lyrics to Pete Francis's song "Untold" convey a sense of urgency and plea for someone not to give up on their dreams and leave the singer behind on a desolate road. The chorus drives this message home, with repeated reminders to not go with dreams untold and not to leave the singer alone. The verses describe a sense of unease and uncertainty, with mentions of "something's undercover" and "something ain't right." The singer sees the person they are addressing "slide by" in the night and they drive by in their car, but their true intentions are unknown. The singer desperately wants this person to look them in the eyes so they can truly believe, suggesting that there has been a lack of honesty or authenticity in their interactions.
As the singer passes through fields, they hear someone calling them, potentially the person they've been addressing in the song. They express a need to pause and look around, hoping that this person will reach out and contact them. The song ends with a repetition of the chorus, driving home the importance of not leaving one's dreams untold and not leaving others behind.
Overall, the song feels like a plea to not give up on one's aspirations and to maintain open communication with others. It conveys a sense of insecurity and uncertainty, both in the outside world and in relationships, and offers a reminder that we should hold onto our dreams while also keeping those close to us in mind.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't go with your dreams untold
Don't let your dreams go unfulfilled, share them with the world.
Don't leave me on that old black road
Don't abandon me on a difficult and uncertain path.
July thunder, something's undercover
The stormy weather of July is symbolic of something hidden or mysterious going on.
Something's lost, something ain't right
There is a sense of unease and something missing or off.
You slide by me in the cool air of night
You pass by me unnoticed in the peaceful darkness of the night.
Drive by in my car for you
I am willing to go out of my way and take you with me on this journey.
Look me in the eyes, that's what I can believe
Eye contact reassures me that you are sincere and trustworthy.
Now as I pass through these fields at last
Finally, after a long journey, I am traversing through vast open fields.
I hear someone calling me
I sense a voice drawing me towards something or someone.
Could be your voice, could be a voice I don't know
It is ambiguous whose voice I am hearing, but it could be yours or someone else's.
So hold up, hold up while I look around here
Wait a moment while I investigate my surroundings and try to identify the source of the voice.
Maybe baby you would just phone me
Perhaps you could call me and clarify if you are the one calling me through the fields.
Don't go with your dreams untold
Reiteration of the importance of expressing and fulfilling one's aspirations.
Don't leave me on that old black road
Once again, pleading not to be abandoned in a difficult situation.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind